When I discovered that this work was not done by a professional troupe of voice actors, I didn't expect much. But, how very pleasantly surprised I was! Phil Dragash has done a as good or better a job than most such professionals would have. Spot-on voices, believable and appropriate background sounds and noises, fitting mood music, and all in all a lively sense of reality to the entire proceedings. I find Phil's production much superior to the act of reading the books, at least in the matter of sheer enjoyment. I prefer to the overrated movies as well, for this is the actual books, expertly acted out by a genuinely talented man. Thank you, Phil, for I am now on my second listening.

If you like this lord of the rings audiobook you will love this theatrical version of the hobbit by Bluefax

https://odysee.com/@Dazadoo:e/The-Hobbit-Audiobook-Bluefax-:f?r=6jFocDt7VhBSJDypWQoKuLKwpgNCWGnX&lid=f11bfb7515192a44d76de991a2917c5e24ae3a94

I listen to this version of the LotR about once a year all the way through. It never ceases to amaze how one young sound artist created such a beautifully rendered reading with voices and soundscapes that put you IN the setting. I would give it 10 stars out of 5 if possible!

I’ve listened to this very auto book with no issue several times. Wanted to listen to it again and now I can’t pause for too long without having to start chapter one over and I can’t skip ahead otherwise it won’t play. I got to chapter 2 last night. Wanted to start chapter 3 this morning but it will not play at all!

It seems that some entity has been trying to wipe this trilogy off of the face of the earth. Google would give me nothing, and it now seems people are stating that there is something wrong with either the files or the streaming. I will download these now, and I will also try to find an earlier download I had taken some time ago. I will see if there is something I could do to working files out if there indeed is something wrong with this.

but whoever screwed up the functionality of this website back around april, deserves to be set on fire. (probably some individual or entity that realized people were enjoying high quality(cause it was made with love) entertainment for free, and decided to fix that)

Hi!
I’ve recently had the problem that im not able to play any of the chapters besides the first one. One way to fix this is to press the little icon in the top left and press the text that says “web amp”. It will redirect you to a player. Press play and it will begin from chapter one. Press the icon which changes chapter and then go to the chapter you want to listen to. It works for me but I don’t know if it will work for you guys

Hello,

I am having the same issue. Unable to listen after Chapter 15 😔

Did something change in the last few days?! I’ve been listening to this and made it to chapter 15. Now it won’t play! The way the page is formatted even looks different now too? Sometimes it’ll start playing from chapter one, but I can’t skip ahead. No other chapters play. I am dying to finish the book and keep going on to the others! Somebody help!!

it is so well read

Really well read and soundscaped.
Once or twice the effects seemed to drow out the reading but very rarely and in keeping with what was happening.
Definitely worth listening to.

Praise upon praise. Never could muster the courage to start the daunting books, but such a fan of the world and movies. This audiobook was perfect. The voice actors were all excellent and were reminiscent of their screen loving screen counterparts. What a phenomenal and beautiful story, the ending performance had me in tears.

Just…beautiful.

This audiobook is jaw-droppingly lovely. If you adore Tolkien, you should listen to this, and then like everyone posting reviews here, give this sublime gift of talent and time the five-star rating it absolutely deserves. It's easily the match of all previous audio versions, including the broadcast BBC classic, and I think it actually surpasses most if not all of them in overall atmosphere, pacing, and production.

Consistently awesome, from the first moment to the last.

Thanks so much Mr. Phil for making this audiobook.
It's been almost a year since I have read&listened to it but I can remember it very clearly:) The soundtracks are awesome and your voice is so cool and calm, it's so great listening to it. You helped me enjoy that fabulous book a lot, and if anyone needs an audiobook, it's definately this one, plus it's free!
I give you 5 stars!

Agree with the positive reviews. I was familiar with the movies before the books so the voices in my head are Ian McKellen, et. al. Very well done. Only critique at all is in mixing. There are a couple chapters where the background audio (which I love) is a little overwhelming and makes the dialogue hard to follow. When Sam fights Shelob and the Muster of Rohan are two areas in particular. But I and my family love this production. Very well done.

As you've probably seen the 99.9% of the comments praising this fan made audio book, I can't help but to do the same incredibly immersive especially when it has musical soundtracks from the movies, the voice acting is beautifully well done. perfectly paced. and just overall really wholesome wish more audio books were like this. I'm new to reading the LOTR books even though I've watched the movies dozens of times this just helps making the book not seem overwhelming

God bless Phil Dragash stuff, I came across an obscure YT link to a chapter of his work and was HOOKED. The level of quality that was presented in these works still blows me away. I've finally bought the books and I'm making sure I save copies of his audiobooks on different drives. ALSO...because I still couldn't believe that all this was made by one super fan, I snooped around and came across Phil's Ko-fi page. Apparently, he's artist that takes commissions! The page allows you to buy him a coffee if you've enjoyed any of his work. https://ko-fi.com/philman

Good stuff. 'Nuf said.

This is among the work of arts I have had the pleasure to experience that I consider to be life changing.
I had tried to read the books and was having a hard time as English is not my native language.
I was surprised to discover that the audiobooks, with the music and sound effects, were extremely easy and interesting to follow. It immersed me into an epic tolkien adventure, and allowed me to really live in it for 48 hours, scattered a few months of naps and night time.
In many places, the music and sound effects add so much life, and even depth to what is happening.
The whole part where Sam and Frodo travel alone to Mordor is very touching. I doubt I would have been as moved by their strength, if I only had read the books - hearing it makes it more real, and doesnt give the choice to skip over parts that are important for the overall emotion of the adventure.
I discovered a very inspiring universe and story, so thank you!

I read the book through once when I was young. I went to read it again this month and then...I found this. This is marvellous! There wasn;t a dull moment. I even paid attention to the Tom Bombadil chapter. As an aside, I'm a sound designer now and i have to applaud you on the stunning ambience and character design. Khazad-Dum was amazing!

I don't really have the attention span to actually read, you do voices incredibly well and the soft background music is just the right volume; it doesn't mask your voice. The immersion is fantastic!

good!

I've got to say, this is simply amazing! The reading is perfect and the voice acting/bgm/ambience sound make it even greater!
Also the fact that it's actually the content of the book without cut is exactly what I wanted
I don't have a single complain
Thank you so much for it

The other reviews said it. This rendition is simply amazing. I keep coming back to it.

This is literally the greatest audiobook ever made. The voice acting is superb, especially given the huge range of characters drawn up by Tolkien. The terrific use of Howard Shore's score simply elevates the listening experience. Totally immersive! I cannot believe that we are so lucky to listen to this masterpiece free of charge.

From Italy 🇮🇹...... GRAZIE 🙏

If you like lord of the rings or you want to give it a try then this is the way to do it (after the movies)

I have been reading and listening this wonderful interpretation of the LOTR and not even with the movies I was able to capture the middle earth in my mind. So many times I fell asleep listening to this soundscape and I scaped to the world of dreams. Just wonderful

Lovely voice acting and atmospheric use of background sound effects and music. There are some minor reading errors, but they're mostly inconsequential to understanding the story. I've listened to this audiobook/dramatization only a hundred times. That's how much I love it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you soo much! When I heard this for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.... and I still can't, after the third time...

so immersive

Well done! I will listen over and over to this!

Absolutely love this audio version! Phil Dragash is an amazing narrator! Listened to all 3 books with my 13 year old twin daughters and now enjoying with my youngest daughter. The story comes vividly to life with the sound effects and his talent for voices. What a treat for all Tolkien fans😊

Impossible to overstate how good this audiobook is. Thank you Phil Dragash for making it and thank you, archive.org, for preserving this work of art. A must read (listen) for everyone who enjoys Tolkien's work or is interested in it.

This book expresses the friendships of all the characters and they choose the right mystic for every emotion it really brings out the friendship of Frodo and Sam 10/10 would TOTALLY 💯 recommended

I’m just going to say what almost everyone else keeps saying but it still bears saying it again. This is the best audiobook version of TLOTR trilogy in the history of the world. Phil Dragash deserves a knighthood or the congressional medal of honour or the Nobel prize for literature. It’s not just the best audiobook of TLOTR but it’s the best audiobook experience, period. I particularly enjoy listening to The Scouring of the Shire. It almost makes up for it not being in the movie (I’m looking at you Peter Jackson 😕). More than worth a listen.

While there are a few mistakes, his LOTR series is unequivocally the finest audiobook experience I have ever had, and IMHO the best fan work ever produced in any medium. It really is that good.

This is by far the greatest audiobook cover of this book. I have been fond of the LOTR world for a long time. Absolutely love this version. Great for relaxing or studying.

Most enjoyable reading I have ever heard. ... and I have the whole JK Rowling audiobooks and many others. It's not perfect but it is fantastic. I would rather listen to this than any other voice actor.

This "soundscape" reading of LOTR by Phil Dragash is a fantastic gift for all those of us for whom both J.R.R. Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's movie adaptations are beloved. Dragash performs an unabridged reading of the books (complete with characterizations, often inspired by the films' actors), sound effects, and a THOUGHTFUL infusion of Howard Shore's musical score that displays a strong consciousness of its themes and leitmotifs. His performance has nuance and emotional depth. I absolutely love the official audio book and Rob Inglis' reading, but this is better, IMO. Highly recommended, in particular for movie fans that may be daunted by the books.

This man is a goddamn treasure and deserves the world!

This is the best LOTR audiobook out there. The voice acting is reminiscent of the movie actors/actresses. The music and sound effects are excellent and add a lot to the experience. Even if you've read these books before, its worth a listen.

Thanks to Phil Dragash for his hard work producing the series, it was a labor of love with no expectation of monetary gain.

This is one of the great masterworks of audiobooks, sound design, and one-man acting. It's then all the more regrettable that this has the same problem as the old Limetorrents version. The file for "A Journey in the Dark" skips the following: the walk of a mile to find the door of Moria, which introduces the door-trees and and sets the scene; the unpacking of the pony and Sam's distress at leaving him; Gandalf's placing of words-of-warding on Bill the Pony; the initial search for the invisible door and some verbal tussle between Gimli and Legolas which reveals some deep-time back-story about the tensions between Dwarves and Elves. As for the skip, I suspect it's an MP3 encoding glitch, not a deliberate excision by Phil.

Really great!

The “many meetings” chapter still seems to be missing in the torrent download though.

These amazing recordings were my first exposure to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and I was transfixed by them for days at a time. I’m so happy that these recordings are finally available!
Phil Dragash originally published these recordings on YouTube with some very beautiful artwork as the backdrop for the videos, as well as the music and audio clip mix, that back up his narration. It was a very enjoyable and immersive experience.

Thanks Phil!

Thanks for the notice, it is not missing anymore.

The chapter "many meetings" in between flight to the Ford and council of elrond is missing.